Thursday, June 3rd, 2021
New Vaccine Incentives, Missions to Venus & New ‘Bachelor’ Hosts
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh.com/NEWSWORTHY12 and Noom.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to peruse the latest happenings...
White House Vaccine Push
The Biden administration is now calling for a “Month of Action” to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. President Biden announced partnerships with early childhood centers like Kindercare, Learning Care Group, YMCA, and Bright Horizons to offer free childcare for parents who need help while getting their shots or while recovering from potential side effects. Biden also announced a partnership with more than 1,000 black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to offer vaccine education. There will be extended hours at thousands of pharmacies, increased vaccine outreach programs on college campuses, and more.
Read More: Politico, AP, WaPo, White House, CDC
Thousands of Fauci Emails Published
Thousands of pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails were published by news outlets this week. They were sent from January to June of 2020. In the emails, you can see Dr. Fauci each day answering dozens of questions from team members, doctors, old friends, reporters, producers, and sometimes even total strangers. He would agree to do interviews, advise doctors on how to treat suspected COVID-19 patients, and talk to fearful people about what experts did or didn’t know at the time. Some of the emails have sparked backlash from critics, including some in which Dr. Fauci was telling people not to worry about wearing masks in January and February of 2020.
Read More: WaPo, Buzzfeed, Newsweek, CNN, Fox News
Israeli Opposition Deal
The longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history could be on his way out. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli opponents from the left to the far-right announced they reached a deal to form a new government. This means eight different political parties worked together to push Netanyahu out. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Israeli parliament. That vote is expected to happen early next week. If it goes through, two leaders will split the prime minister’s job for the next term, with each person serving two years. Netanyahu hasn’t commented on the new deal but is expected to fight it.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Fox News, CNN, Axios, Jerusalem Post
NASA Announces Venus Missions
NASA is going back to Venus for the first time in more than 30 years. The agency is planning two missions for the end of this decade. Robots will map Venus’ surface, explore whether there are active volcanoes there, and figure out if Venus ever had oceans. The planet is sometimes described as Earth’s twin due to having a similar size and mass, but most of the similarities end there. The atmosphere on Venus is made of carbon dioxide and temperatures at the surface reach a scorching 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists want to know how Venus turned into such a fiery place and whether it was ever able to sustain life.
Read More: NY Times, Space, CNET, Axios, NASA
Semiconductor Chip Plant in Arizona
Business leaders are taking steps to address a global shortage of semiconductor chips. There are now plans for at least three new chip plants in Arizona. A manufacturing company out of Taiwan started construction of a $12 billion factory in Phoenix, while Intel announced plans to build two more new plants in the same area to the tune of $20 billion. The Intel plants are expected to create 3,000 permanent jobs. Still, Intel’s CEO says it could take several years for the chip shortage to be resolved.
Read More: Axios, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg
AMC Stock Surges
Shares of AMC Entertainment have been surging recently with stock prices nearly doubling this week. Short-sellers who bet against AMC reportedly lost nearly $3 billion yesterday alone. The popular subreddit r/wallstreetbets is behind this latest surge. AMC is launching a new program called AMC Investor Connect, which will reward people who hold stock in AMC with free popcorn at theaters, screening invitations for new movies, and special discounts.
Read More: CNBC, MarketWatch, CNN, Reuters, AP
Winningest Coach in College Basketball Retiring
Duke’s head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after next season. He’s been at Duke for more than 40 years. Coach K’s record includes more than 1,100 wins, five national titles, eight national Coach of the Year awards, and two inductions into the Hall of Fame. When announcing his retirement, Coach K said it had been a “blessing” to coach some of the greatest players in the game. He will be handing over the reins to his associate head coach Jon Scheyer who has been coaching at Duke for nearly a decade.
Read More: ESPN, USA Today, Raleigh News & Observer, Duke
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Without Chris Harrison
Chris Harrison will reportedly not return for the next season of Bachelor in Paradise. ABC plans to have multiple celebrity guest hosts instead. Harrison has been on the sidelines since February after he stirred up controversy for how he defended Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who faced backlash after pictures surfaced online showing her at an antebellum plantation-themed party in 2018. Harrison tried defending Kirkconnell but has since apologized for excusing historical racism. Bachelor in Paradise is slated to start production next week and will debut on ABC in August.
Read More: Variety, ET, Page Six
Thing to Know Thursday: Pride Month
Pride month has begun in the United States. It’s a month-long celebration to show support for the LGBTQ community. It’s also meant to recognize activists who have fought for equality under the law. People traditionally mark pride month with parades, races, memorials, concerts, workshops, and more. Pride month is celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots that took place on June 28th, 1969, which has long been considered the start of the American gay rights movement.
Read More: CNN, People, ABC News, USA Today, Library of Congress, ACLU